How To Heal Shattered Confidence
by Remington 700PSS
Summary: Set after Between Heartbeats. Jules is recovering after being shot but a new threat emerges. Can the team save Jules, from an unknown enemy and herself. May contain some Jules/Sam later on
1. Chapter 1

No one can ever know how much this hurts.

I thought I could get through this but sometimes I wonder why I bother.

I wish there was someone I could talk to about this but I'm supposed to be the invincible one.

Julianna Callaghan sat back on her bed in the hospital ward waiting to be taken down for an x-ray. She was still recovering after being shot on the job. The pain was still there, some days the physical pain took over but most days it was the emotional pain that kept her awake at night.

_Flashback_

Callaghan: Police, drop your weapon, hands in the air or we'll shoot.

Braddock: Show me your hands, show me your hands, show me your hands.

Sam flicks back the camouflage net only to find that there is no-one there.

Braddock: It's a decoy.

Callaghan: Where is he?

Lane: It's a decoy. Fall back, fall back now, take cover.

A shot rings out and Jules is hit in the back, piercing her body armour and causing a deep wound. She goes down hard, struggling to catch her breath.

Braddock: Officer down, officer down. Medic up now. Jules has been hit.

Scarlatti: Officer down. We need EMS. Bay and Queen. SRU officer down.

Braddock: Stay with me Jules stay with me.

Jules continues to struggle to breath as more of the team make their way up to the rooftop.

Braddock: Stay with me, stay with me.

Shots are fired in rapid succession and hit the shield.

Braddock: Rocket fire, get up here now. Somebody get an angle on this guy. Shots are coming from City Hall.

Lane: Boss, this is about me. I come out and draw his fire and you get her out of there.

Parker: Negative, negative. We do this as a team.

Lane: Copy Greg. Get her out of there. Spike, you and me, West Tower, City Hall.

Parker, Wordy & Lewis arrive at the entrance to the rooftop and prepare to go out and retrieve Jules.

Parker: Low & tight. Lewis, you cover.

Shots continue as the team make their way over to get Jules to safety.

Ed & Spike make their way up the stairs in City Hall.

Scarlatti: Roofs are great. We can get eyes from the Mechanical Room.

Ed & Spike enter the mechanical room and begin to sweep the area.

Young: Keep the shields up.

Parker: Stay tight, stay tight.

Young: You're gonna be ok.

Parker: We're getting you out Jules

Young: Go. Go. Go. Go. Easy. Easy.

Braddock: Hang on. We got you.

Young: Come on. Come on.

Young carries her into the building in his arms.

Young: She's clear.

_Flashback ends_

Once I knew that I was safe, that was when I succumbed to the darkness that was oh so inviting.

I wonder if the others realise how close I was to letting go completely.

Jules was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear the commotion going on outside her room. There was a volley of gunshots that snapped Jules out of her thoughts but before she could do anything, there was an explosion just outside her room and debris flew in every direction. A large fragment of steel came hurtling towards her, she tried to dodge it but couldn't. It hit her full on in the side of the head and knocked her out cold. A fire raged outside and Jules was trapped.

Unconscious and in danger, will she get out in time.


	2. Chapter 2

"Team one. Gear up. Hot call. Shots fired followed by a large explosion. Ward 3. Saint Simons Hospital. Unknown casualties or subject/s" Kira's voice rang out over the speakers in the SRU headquarters.

The hearts of team one froze as they heard the details of the call. Ward three, Jules' ward.

Team one raced to the garage and jumped in the Suburban's and made their way to the hospital.

They were forced to slow down as they got closer as there were patients on the road being treated.

They had to park several kilometres from the hospital. They geared up and headed to the hospital, quietly checking each patient, looking for their favourite sniper. Everyone was disheartened when they arrived at the hospital without anyone spotting Jules. They looked up at the hospital in wonderment and fear. The entire front of the hospital had been destroyed by the explosion. They were greeted by Inspector Stainton who had bad news for them "The good news is that the gunshots were fired in mid air in the corridor. But the bad news is that one of the nurses managed to confirm that the explosion was right outside Constable Callaghan's room. She hasn't been seen since the explosion"

The team stood frozen in place at hearing the news that they feared the most. Ed was the first to speak up. "Are the fire-fighters inside looking for her?" Inspector Stainton took two steps backwards before he answered. "No guys. They can't" Sam spluttered in horror. "What do you mean they can't?" The Inspector looked up as he gave the worst news he had ever given "the building is too unsafe. No one goes in. If she is to live then she has to make it out on her own" He gave the team a sympathetic look before he started to back off "I'm sorry guys. So sorry"

It had been a full ten minutes since they heard the news before any of them moved. Spike was the first to speak "What are we going to do? We can't just leave here in there and hope for the best. Sarge?" as much as it hurts him to say it he had no other choice."We have to Spike. I know we all want to run in there and bring her out but there is no way that they will let us through the barricade. We have to trust that Jules will be ok and that she will come back to us" He turned to face his team who looked like they were ready to cry. "None of us like this situation but there is nothing we can do. I don't like it anymore than you do. We just have to try to make the best of a bad situation" He turned to look at the hospital, the team willing Jules to make it out alive.

Meanwhile:

Jules lay on the bed, her head wound bleeding profusely. She started to come to, groaning as she felt the pain for the first time. As her body shook off the nausea and the little white lights that seemed to dominate her vision, she noticed that it was getting increasingly warmer in the room. She slowly moved her body around to find the source which seemed to be coming outside her room, as she moved she felt a stab of pain in her injured shoulder. Reaching a hand around, she felt a warm sticky liquid coat her fingers. The gunshot wound had opened again god knows what damage had been done or how long this would delay her recovery. She had to shake those thoughts out of her mind, knowing that time was running out if she was to get out of there alive.

She made her way to the door and looked out only to see that most of the hospital had disappeared in the explosion. She noted that the fire had passed her room & was making its way down towards the other end of the hospital. Luckily the floor was still intact so she could walk out without too much trouble. She leaned against the doorframe, or what was left of it, to get her bearings and to get her balance.

She slowly made her down the corridor, keeping close to the wall. She could see body fragments scattered everywhere, shuddering when she realised that she was one of the lucky ones. Coming to a corner, there was a body blocking the way. Jules realised that the only way to get out was to move the body. Something she wasn't looking forward to. With all the strength she could muster, she dragged the body back to where she had just come from.

Drained and exhausted, Jules sat on the floor and leaned against the wall to recollect her energy. As she did so part of the building started shake and crumble around her. She covered her head with her good arm and waited for the shaking to stop. She knew she had to find something to stem the blood flow from her shoulder otherwise she would be in real danger of bleeding to death.

Outside, onlookers screamed as the building continued to shake, threatening to collapse completely. Team one held their breath as they prayed desperately for the building to stop shaking.

Inside, Jules stood up, leaning against the wall while she waited for the dizziness to ease up. She slowly made her way down the wall, pausing every few meters to catch her breath.

It had been several hours since she had started to make her way out & Jules was exhausted. She could see the exit but it seemed so far away. The building was shaking with more intensity and urgency now. She knew that if she was to survive then she needed to get out now. Slowly making her way to the door, she closed her eyes and prayed for a miracle.

Outside, Sam was becoming more and more anxious. He knew that Jules was running out of time. The hospital was becoming more and more unstable and very soon there would be nothing keeping the rest of the building up and gravity would end up having its way.

Jules could see the exit just several metres ahead but her body was losing the battle to stay conscious. She knew her mind had the fight left but her body just wanted to crumble. She had to force herself to fight off the urges that wanted her to give up. She got on her hands and knees and started to crawl towards the light, hoping it was closer than it looked.

Outside:

Sam refused to move from his position. He had been sitting there for over three hours and there he intended to stay until Jules was out of that building. He felt a hand on his shoulder, it was Ed."Mate, you should get something to eat & drink, give yourself a break. I'll stay here & watch out for her". Without taking his eyes off the building, Sam responded"Thanks but no thanks. I want to stay right here. I'm not moving until she is out of that building. Ed knew better than to argue with him,"ok mate. I'll bring you a plate".

It wasn't just Ed who noticed Sam's stoic behaviour Greg was also more than a little concerned but knew that there was nothing anyone could say to make him change his mind. Everyone was on tender hooks waiting for news, good, bad or otherwise

Inside the hospital:

Jules was slowly making her way towards the light. Her mouth was as dry as a bone and every part of her body was screaming in pain. She could no longer feel pain in her shoulder, something her gut told her was a very bad thing.

She knew she was getting closer to the light, she could now see that it was a doorway to the outside world, that wasn't the problem, the problem was that she was finding it increasingly harder to fight of the fatigue.

30 minutes later:

Jules was just a few feet from the entrance but to her dismay it was mostly blocked by rubble. The only opening was less than a metre wide and rather high. She looked around for something to stand on. The blood loss was getting to her physically. She found a cabinet that was the perfect height but all the strength had gone from her body. It was several exhausting and agonising minutes before she had moved the cabinet into place. She had to stop and catch her breath. Sinking down to the floor, she allowed herself to think of the rest of the team. There was Sergeant Gregory Parker assertive and strong yet caring and fatherly, Ed Lane bold and calculating with a devious streak, Lewis Young keen and proud with a private side, Spike Scarlatti stealth and brazen with a soft spot for "baby cakes" and Sam Braddock, sweet, kind and sensitive Sam. The Sam who had taught her a new way of living. That there was nothing to fear when deciding to let someone into her heart. She knew that the team would be waiting for her just outside. She couldn't wait to see them again.

Ultimately it was the thought of Sam sitting outside waiting patiently for her that gave her the strength to get up and continue her quest to make it out alive. She hauled herself up onto the cabinet and started to wriggle herself gently through the narrow opening.

Finally reaching the other side, Jules allowed herself a moment to catch her breath, looking out, she could see Sam sitting on the hood of one of the Suburban's, exactly where she had pictured him to be. She was just about to call out to him when she heard a deep, low rumble. Before she could think, the roof caved in around her, knocking the wind out of her instantly. She screamed as loud as she could, hoping she had enough air left in her to make it a loud scream.

Will anyone hear her?

Will she make it out alive?

Will the team ever be the same again?


	3. Chapter 3

Sam had been sitting in the same spot for nearly five hours and as much as it hurt he refused to move. The team had gathered again at the trucks. Shelley & Sophie had arrived with food for everyone & now it was a case of waiting & praying.

Jules was leaning against the wall. She knew she had to make a move but all the energy had gone out of her. She let out another scream. _I guess I have to get myself out of here. They would never let anyone through the barricade. Not now that the hospital was threatening to collapse._

"Can't we do something Boss?" Moaned Sam. They had been at the site of the explosion for nearly nine hours & every minute was killing him. "Sam, take it easy man. They will find her. Right now the priority has to be the safety of the rescue teams." Sam jumped off the hood of the Suburban. "Take it easy. How can I take it easy when the woman I love, the woman who I trust more than anyone I've ever trusted before, the woman that makes me a man is trapped in there. We don't even know if she's still alive." He stalked away from the rest of team one. _Holy shit. What the hell did I just do. Now I've said that I'm going to have to transfer out. Jules is going to kill me._ While Sam was having his freak attack the rest of the team were standing there, dumbfounded. "Sam loves Jules" Spike said in a tone that said he still thought he was in some sort of cartoon. The women, Sophie & Shelley, laughed at their expressions. "Why yes boys, sam does love jules. He has done for a long time now. Anyone with eyes could see that. Jules loves sam too." Everyone turned to stare at Sophie. "really. They do?" they all said in a unison that make it impossible not to laugh again. "Yes he does. But seriously guys. This is killing him. Jules is his whole world. Eddie, imagine if that was me in there or Wordy if it was Shelley." The team went silent. The realisation of Sam & Jules' relationship affecting them deeply.

Jules meanwhile had almost made it to the outside world & just in time too. The building was beginning to shake more violently now. Her shoulder was on fire & she was exhausted. The end was nigh & she was nearly out. She started to crawl army style towards the light _I can see it. I'm almost safe. Oh thank you thank you thank you. I'm coming Sam. Wait for me._

Before she could get any further the building started shaking worse then it had before. Larger chunks of concrete & steel were falling all around her. The last thing Jules saw was Sam's face. She blacked out.

The team outside cried out in horror as the building started coming down with still no sign of Jules.

Will our favourite sniper make it out alive?

Or will the last nine hours have been in vain?


End file.
